With a full set of braces and a slight 5-foot-2-inch stature, Rachel McGovern isn’t particularly intimidating, but that’s probably only because you’re not racing her.

    In the 4A cross-country championships, McGovern ran away from the field — literally — winning by 34 seconds.

    Whether her large margin of victory or that she’s a freshman is more noteworthy is up for debate.

    “It wasn’t easy because running isn’t ever easy,” McGovern said. “But it’s one of the best races I’ve had. I felt good. I felt like I could keep going.”

    On the day of the meet, dark rain clouds obscured the sun. It was a cold fall day in the northwest. Precisely the type of weather McGovern prefers to run in.

    “There’s just something about it that makes you feel stronger. ... You’re not hot. You just feel like you’re numb,” she said. “When you’re running, you still feel the pain, but there’s something about it that just makes you feel better.”

    McGovern is the first freshman to ever win a girl’s individual state championship for Pocatello High School. Oddly enough, she has someone on her own team who could provide a little advice himself on taking state titles at a young age.

    That person is sophomore Elijah Armstrong, now the two-time defending state champion both individually and as part of the Pocatello Indians’ cross-country team.

    Armstrong’s time at the Nike Pre-Nationals this past Sept. 29 is the fastest in Idaho, regardless of classification.

    On the same day when McGovern pulled away from the field in her race, Armstrong covered the five kilometer course in 15:34.1 — the fastest time of the day across all classes.

    Armstrong’s success, it goes without saying, isn’t ordinary — but then again, neither is his typical day.

    It starts at about 4 a.m.

    Wait, what, how early?

    “My Dad, he does everything for me,” Armstrong said. “He’s the one who gets me up in the morning to get me going.”

    After shaking off the cobwebs, Armstrong, his younger brother,  Malachi, and dad workout. Then they go for a run, usually about six miles.

    After a shower and breakfast, it’s time for a nap and later, school.    

    “This is my life. This is what I like to do.” Armstrong said. “To others, they think it’s really weird just because I’m not a normal teenager. I like to go to bed early and get up early. But to me it’s just another day.”

    Of course that kind of dedication is at the root of Armstrong’s running success and it’s a standard that McGovern picked up on.

    “He helped me a lot,” she said. “Just gave me advice and was motivating and really supportive, because he’s gone through it. He knows what to expect and how to get ready for it.”

    The question of whether or not McGovern and Armstrong are great runners has been answered — if there was ever a question at all. But now cross-country in the state of Idaho watches to see if either will continue to improve, if the drive to win wanes or the pressure to keep winning builds and builds until it topples one or both over.

    Those questions, however, may not matter.

    “We just try to go out there and have a good time,” Armstrong said. “We don’t make it, ‘Oh, you know, we’re this great team that no one can touch.’ We just want to make it fun for everyone out there, rather than be so focused and so intense all the time.”